Standing by that belief, Beacon is distributing $128,000 in grants to four community-based behavioral health organizations that are combatting the opioid crisis in Massachusetts at the grassroots level.

With one in five Americans suffering from a mental illness at any point in their lives, the demand for behavioral health services is loud and clear, but the reality is that many people do not have access to quality care.

Indeed, only 26 percent of the need for mental health services is met in this country, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Beacon Health Options’ mission is to help people live their lives to the fullest potential. It’s a simple, yet extraordinarily complicated, goal because it requires changing behavior at all levels – system, provider and individual.

He was one of the most honest people I had ever met. His face was honest; it betrayed every emotion. His voice was honest. He always told you exactly what he was thinking. His heart was honest.

He felt things more strongly than anyone I know. I loved him. I met him on the first day of 9th grade and was instantly smitten. He was always kind and jovial with me, despite my relatively uncool standing, to his relatively popular one.

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) “Triple Aim” has become a household term for many in health care.

The phrase refers to improving the American health care system through a three-pronged framework: improve the patient care experience, improve populations’ health, and reduce the per capita cost of health care.